Values, Vision & Mission Statement

Several years back, I was asked by a school to run a day’s training session on company values. I spent several weeks preparing, and ended up splitting the day into 3 sections: values, vision, mission statement.

There was some surprise at this, as several of the staff felt they were the same thing, and this is understandable. The difference is subtle, but, I feel, important. Values, vision and mission statements are not only for companies, schools, or charities either. I believe that, in order to build your best life, you should have each of these as an individual.

Values

These are the bedrock of your being. if you have a clear idea of your values, you can always measure your actions or choices against these, and decide whether you did the right thing. I go into some detail here on how to go about selecting your own personal values. Once you’ve selected the basic words, feel free to expand on them a little. Here are mine, for example:

Love I show love wherever I can: to the people who are important to me and to the wider world. I act with altruism, compassion, empathy, humanity, kindness, understanding and generosity.

Impact I try to make a positive contribution towards the environment, my community, marginalised groups and the world in general.

Authenticity I conduct myself with honesty, integrity, reliability and purpose.

Brilliance I strive for excellence, credibility and respect. I am committed to my personal growth and to being an inspiration to others.

Vitality I live my life to the full, with enthusiasm, zest and positivity.

Co-dependent Faye and I are co-dependent and resilient.

Creativity I work hard to be a creative force.

Health I take my health and fitness seriously.

I’m not saying I get it right all of the time – far from it; I’m often way off course – but by viewing my life through the lens of these values, I can see how close I am to getting it right. Do I live my life with a good deal of love shown? Yes. Am I a positive person? Yes. Am I always honest? Not always, but most of the time. Do I take my health seriously? Well, that’s a work in progress…

Vision

In the same post as previously linked, and this one here, I go into some detail about how I chose my vision for myself. In essence this was (and still is) a prediction of how I want my life to look in 20-25 years’ time. All of its successes, acquisitions, habits, hobbies, and roles. It’s a work in progress: there are several things which were put in when I started the project in 2023, and have since been taken out; similarly, there have been things added in which weren’t there at the outset. Even the steady categories have seen some editing as my goals and ideas have shifted. There is, however, nothing wrong with this. It’s natural that your goals should change as you go through life. Very few people are trying to achieve at 50 what they set out to achieve at 20, whether they’ve made it or not. I’m a believer in steady, gradual steps, rather than rapid progress that falls by the wayside once things get too difficult (read Atomic Habits by James Clear for an in-depth discussion on this). By building habits slowly, they stick better. If you want to lose weight, for example, a crash diet isn’t the way to go. You’ll likely lose the weight initially if you stick to it, but keeping the weight off will prove very difficult, as there’s no sustainability with faddy eating. Before long, you’ll be back to your old habits and the weight will come back. Better to change your mindset around eating (and exercising, if possible), and build sustainable habits that you’ll carry forward even after the weight has been lost.

One thing to note here is this: there’s no item so small that it can’t be tracked for your future happiness. If it’s important to you – take note of it! Don’t be swayed by what others might think of a particular habit, hobby, or goal. The only person you’re being measured against is yourself. Hence: set up your values (see earlier!).

If you have a clear vision for the future (however far ahead you want to plan for) you have a much better chance of focusing on the things which mean something to you. There’s nothing wrong with watching TV, for example, but if you want to write a novel, read 50 books in a year, learn a language fluently, or spend two hours a day with your children, that might be the thing to give up. On the other hand, TV might be your target, in which case, plan for watching it and enjoy!

I choose to spread my vision across many points – your vision might be much simpler: to be a best-selling author; to earn a million pounds a year by the time you’re 40; to appear in a blockbuster movie. Even if these are your only goals, you might still benefit from splitting them into smaller items and working from there. If you want to earn a million pounds a year, for example, you might want to have several income streams that you’re working on simultaneously – track these!

Mission Statement

For me, this is the kicker. Values are probably the most important aspect of this trinity, but without a mission statement, you’ll end up off course more than on. Your mission statement should reflect both the previous two elements, in that it represents you at your best. Building a mission statement isn’t easy, and I’m not sure I’m going to do it justice here, but I’ll try.

Essentially, this aspect boils down to this: what short phrase do you want to sum up your life? Examples include: “bring happiness to others”, “make a significant contribution”, or “always make the effort”. By itself, the mission statement is relatively meaningless, like an aphorism that says nothing of any use, but when put together with your values and vision, it ties these together.

My personal mission statement is “be impressive”. Standing alone, this is a pointless thing to say to myself. It lacks clarity, detail, focus. But when I view it alongside my values – see earlier – and my vision (which is a huge document, but one I’m intimately familiar with), it becomes highly meaningful. At least, it does for me. And that’s the only thing that matters, because the only person who it’s for is oneself. Whether anyone else can gain anything from my mission statement is entirely besides the point – they’re not meant to: it’s for me! I want to live my life impressively, and I have a hundred-point plan to get there.

The foundation is the values; the detail is in the vision; the driver is the mission statement. Get all three into your life, and you stand a good chance of achieving the success you want for yourself – whatever that looks like.